CUSD formed an Elementary Grading Criteria Committee in 2016-17 under the direction of the Senior Director of Learning. All elementary administrators and the following teachers were a part of the committee:
Chris Teachout VES/K
Toni Neubert VES/4
Stacy Morrissey CUSD/all grades
Robyn Fullmer SSES/3
Coleen Holgate SSES/SpEd
Sarah Jackson SSES/5
Jenny Rogale VES/2
Ellen Cody SSES/Reading Specialist
Whitney DeSantis, Principal VES
Tanya White, Assistant Principal VES
Tammy Marble, Principal SSES
Claudia Gallant, Sr. Director of Learning, CUSD
Over the course of the last semester, the Committee researched, discussed, and evaluated the following topics:
- differences and inconsistencies in CUSD elementary grade level grading criteria and the challenges in each grade, across grades, and across schools, including challenges for intervention specialists and special educators, and administrators, parents, and the system
- the need for a common understanding of components and levels of mastery of content to allow CUSD elementary schools to be in alignment and provide consistent and appropriate feedback to students, parents, and the entire system
- what is a grade? what should go into a grade?
- current research on mastery-based vs. traditional grading systems
- feedback from grade level colleagues via PLCs and survey
- how to both align grading criteria and reduce teacher time for reporting
- revisions to the current report card
- future steps to align grading and reporting with assessment, etc.
Ultimately, their work resulted in new CUSD Elementary Grading and Reporting Foundations, as well as recommendations and plans for needed next steps:
CUSD Elementary Grading Foundations:
Grades for students in CUSD elementary schools are based on the following foundations as part of our District’s high quality grading and reporting system:
1. All students can learn and make growth.
2. Students learn in different ways and at different rates and should have multiple
opportunities to gain and demonstrate mastery.
3. Standards increase in rigor over time and reflect increasing depth of knowledge within
and across each grade.
4. Assessments reflect the instruction that occur in the classroom.
5. Multiple measures of evidence are used to determine present level of performance as
a status update especially at reporting periods which include classwork, assessments,
projects, etc. Homework practice is not a part of a grade calculation.
6. Report cards reflect the status of performance on a continuum of learning for each
standard, rather than an average of early attempts to master a standard. Status is
reported as Below meeting standards, Developing toward mastery of standards,
Secure mastery of standards, Exceeding mastery of standards.
7. All CUSD grade level teachers share the same understanding of the continuum of
learning for each standard, and share this information with parents.
8. Report cards reflect growth by recognizing that rigor and depth of knowledge of
standards increase over time. For example, a child's assigned grade for a standard
may remain the same from one grading period to another, however the rigor increases.
9. Ongoing and timely feedback to parents of student performance occurs as needed
between official reporting periods so that parents can support at home.
10. Student-friendly and parent-friendly language is used when providing feedback on a
student’s present level of performance.
11. Behavior and effort are reported separately from academic performance.
Changes to the CUSD Elementary Report Card for 2017-18:
Based on the feedback from the Grading Criteria Committee and a survey of teachers (60% response), changes to the CUSD Elementary Report Card will occur. These changes are intended to both clarify and simplify feedback to parents, as well as improve teachers’ grading and reporting processes/time while ensuring high quality grading and reporting. Several changes will occur:
- Learning and Behavioral Scoring Key (left-hand side) will now be reported as numbers to differentiate from the academic scoring key; descriptors better reflect behavior:
o Student rarely or never demonstrates these characteristics.
o Student sometimes demonstrates these characteristics.
o Student often demonstrates these characteristics.
o Student always or almost always demonstrates these characteristics.
- The Assessment Data box will be removed from the report card. However, it is the expectation of CUSD that separate MAP and DRA2 score reports/results will be included in the report card envelope. The assessment calendar will reflect semester grading periods; for example, the winter MAP window will be in January so that MAP/DRA2 scores are closer to the end of the grading period. The Academic Supports box will remain as is.
- MAP and DRA2 are to be used by teachers to plan instruction tailored to students’ needs. These scores are used formatively and are not, as such, to be calculated as a percent of a grade. See number 6 above.
The new Director of Learning will work with this committee, grade level representatives, Teachers on Special Assignment for mathematics and English language arts, and site administrators to complete this work as early in the 2017-18 school year as possible.
Following these amendments to the elementary report cards, future steps for grading/reporting have been identified:
- Determine what mastery and other levels look like for each standard and what criteria is used to make that determination.
- Develop Special Education grading guidelines (joint project with Student Services and Learning Dept.)
- Revise/simplify parent guidance document for grading and reporting
- Provide parents with a guide to the learning progression/rigor within a standard over time
- Fall training for all staff on grading/reporting
- Fall training for parents
- Synergy produced report card (contract with SDCOE TBD when report card templates are complete).
- Haiku/Powerschool Grade Book: available to all elementary teachers who wish to use it. Gradebooks should be set up/tied to the report card. Training will be arranged.
- Benchmark math assessments will be revised to reflect standards-based/rubric grading.
- Consider ELA benchmark assessments.
Background Information:
2) Personalized Learning Committee Report
CUSD’s primary goal for learning includes personalized learning. Initiated approximately with 2012 DoDEA Project STEPS: Students, Teachers, Education Plans = Success, personalized education plans (PEPs) have been developed in a variety of ways in all CUSD schools since that time. As reported in the 2016-17 LCAP, approximately 86% of students have some version of a PEP.
Report:
In fall 2017, CUSD formed a Personalized Learning Study Committee to:
- examine the three components of CUSD’s current (2013) definition of personalized learning: Student Learning Opportunities, Classroom Practices, and Documentation,
- determine foundational practices for all CUSD classes, and
- recommend Key Actions for the next three years for the 2017-20 LCAP Goal 1: Learning.
Committee members included: Afsaneh Safaie (CHS), Alison Keehan (CMS), Annette Tickner (VES), Brooke Scott (CHS), Julia Braga (CUSD), Stacy Morrissey (CUSD), Laura Noonan (CMS), Lindsay Goldman (CHS), Miriam Tullgren (CHS), Shane Schmeichel (CHS), Tammy Marble (SSES), Tanya White (VES), and Claudia Gallant (CUSD)
The following is a summary of each outcome:
Update on Student Learning Opportunities: 21st century, relevant, hands-on opportunities that prepare students for college and career
- CHS: Most departments/courses involve a high level of relevant, hands-on lessons that connect learning to life. The counseling department is largely responsible for channeling students’ interests, strengths, and needs into a customized plan. All students meet at least once a year with a counselor to review their plan via the Naviance portal. CHS master schedule and campus activities reflect a robust offering of pathways for students to engage in and develop skills and expertise.
- CMS: Most departments/courses involve a high level of relevant, hands-on lessons that connect learning to life. Student voice and choice is integral to instruction. A new CMS 16-17 Student Learning Plan is being trialed with grade 7 students led by guidance counselor Mike Crooker.
- Silver Strand: many opportunities for personalization include the daily ASE structure for core reading, writing, and math for all students, ELD, use of Compass Learning, career day, writer’s workshop, after school enrichment clubs, etc. SSES is interested in implementing “Genius Hour” in the future.
- VES: many opportunities for personalization included some ASE support, Learning Lab (math with ELA focus) for identified students, ELD, use of Compass Learning, project-based learning, writer’s workshop, and Walk to Read in grade K.
Practices: Using multiple sources of data to recognize strengths and set goals for growth, students, teachers and parents confer on a periodic basis to assist students in achieving their potential.
- CHS: At least once a year students meet with counselors to set goals.
- CMS: most classes have some kind of PEP with goal setting and reflection based on MAP data, especially English and math courses; parents sign PEPs, there is some peer conferencing; all teachers use Haiku and many with personalized resources
- SSES: parent/teacher conferences for all students are held in fall; some students have PEPs (military not meeting standards in math) and some classes set goals with some teacher/student conferencing; there are monthly data meetings; spring parent-teacher conferences in April for students not meeting standards; English learners have PEPs
- VES: parent/teacher conferences for all in fall; some students have PEPs (military not meeting standards in math) and some classes set goals with some teacher/student conferencing; spring parent-teacher conferences in April for students not meeting standards; EL students have PEPs.
Documentation: Comprehensive data used formatively about a student and his/her target goals are archived and shared among appropriate personnel.
- CHS: Naviance system is used to document student’s 4-year high school journey; interests and college/career goals are also documented
- CMS: paper-based PEPs; no transferal to next year; Mike Crooker using new template with grade 7 students
- SSES: paper-based PEPs; no transferal to next year
- VES: paper-based PEPs; no transferal to next year
The second phase of the Committee’s work was to analyze elements of personalized learning used by schools across the nation and the world. Personalized learning components from CUSD partners, such as INACOL and Future Ready Schools were reviewed. Based on this analysis, the Committee drafted a revised definition of personalized learning for CUSD:
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The above definition will be reviewed by the CUSD administrative team before final adoption.
The third phase of the Committee’s work was to provide feedback to the District’s LCAP key actions for personalized learning, resulting in the following in the 2017-18 CUSD LCAP:
Goal 1, Key Action 4: All schools will provide opportunities to personalize learning for students based on strengths and needs, personal passions, and academic interests.
A. CUSD will provide a system of ongoing feedback to and for all CUSD students on their
strengths and needs to support students’ advocacy for their own learning which will include:
a. time for goal setting and reflection with teachers
b. documentation of interests, strengths, and needs in electronic portfolio
c. “Voice and choice” via projects, assessments, and assignments.
B. The CUSD Personalized Learning Committee will develop criteria for Personalized Education
Plans for all levels/grades, conferencing best practices, as well s investigation of warehousing
PEPs via electronic portfolios.
In addition, each school site’s LCAP includes key actions over the next three years to ensure there are site and District systems for meeting students’ unique needs.